There’s a lot of talk about the state’s Governor, Tim Pawlenty, being one of the favorites to become John McCain’s Vice Presidential pick. Even when McCain was bankrupt and sinking in 2007, Pawlenty, seen above saying, “It was this big,” stuck by his side.

If McCain picks T-Paw, he will come with a lot of upsides for the Arizona Senator. Pawlenty, who is in his second term as Governor of the great state of Minnesota, is only 47 years old; one year older than Barack Obama. This fits in well with McCain, who is 24 years his senior. Also, much of the flack McCain has taken from Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee is that McCain is a Washington insider. Pawlenty who has served in Minnesota’s State House of Representatives and now serves as Governor would not receive the same criticism. Many conservatives would consider him an acceptable choice, even though he shares McCain’s views on certain issues such as the environment.

Some also think Pawlenty would help McCain win Minnesota in the general election. This would be important because Minnesota has not voted Republican for President since Richard Nixon in 1972. I’d like to think that shows Minnesotans learn from our mistakes. However, I don’t McCain will win Minnesota with or without Pawlenty. Pawlenty’s support couldn’t swing Minnesota McCain’s way in the Republican caucus, and Pawlenty himself won only by a plurality (46.7-45.7%) and not a majority of votes in his latest Gubernatorial victory.

Picking Pawlenty would help McCain balance the ticket, however. It would also be very encouraging to see both tickets filled with pro-environment candidates, instead of just the Democratic side. This talk of McCain’s running mate will continue for a while as the Senator has stated he hasn’t given the subject any thought yet.